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Kimora

Kimora is a student at Whites Creek High School in Nashville, TN who was taught by Montrell Williams, a 2021 corps member this past school year. Kimora shares how Mr. Williams has supported her throughout this school year. Read on to learn more about Kimora's experience as a student and her future aspirations.

Q: What do you like most about your school?

A: The one thing I like about my school is Mr. Williams' class.

Q: What do you like about your teacher's classroom?

A: I like everything about Mr. Williams' class. Its never a dull moment in his class. He makes learning easier and fun.

Q: What has been your greatest challenge this school year and what has helped you manage or overcome this challenge?

A: The most challenging thing for me this school year is knowing that I have to change schools next year, because Mr. Williams is the main person who aided my success this year.

Q: What do you hope to learn by the end of this school year?

A: I hope to gain a better understanding in mathematics and myself.

Q: What support do you need at this time and what gives you hope?

A: Mr. Williams has helped me stay hopeful and engaged. The support I need at this time is more tutoring.

Q: From your current perspective, what would you like to do when you grow up/ what is your dream job?

A: I would like to do real estate and remodel homes when I grow up.

A word from Ms. Williams: "Kimora is a bright student. Even through times of adversity, she's able to keep her composure and maintain an above average GPA. She is intelligent, polite, and a trustworthy person who I've had a joy teaching this school year."

Justin

Justin is a student at Orchard Knob Middle School in Chattanooga, TN who was taught by Melanie Raybon, a 2021 corps member this past school year. Justin is one of the many students impacted by our network of leaders in the Nashville-Chattanooga region of Teach For America. Read on to learn more about Justin and what keeps him motivated to succeed!

Q: What do you like most about your school?

A: I like being part of the sports teams. I've been a part of almost every single one, including basketball, wrestling, and track. My favorite part about being in sports is that I get to have fun with my homeboys and get to travel to different schools.

Q: What do you like about your teacher's classroom?

A: I love that Ms. Raybon lets us get off-task sometimes, and she's funny too. She lets us have fun. She gave us a pizza party after we did good on our Benchmarks!

Q: What has been your greatest challenge this school year and what has helped you manage or overcome this challenge?

A: At the beginning of the year, my math class work was hard because we had way too many people in the class and they needed another teacher. Hanging out with my friends and cousins to just chill helps keep me calm so I can better focus.

Q: What do you hope to learn by the end of this school year?

A: I feel good about reading but I want to try to do better in math.

Q: What support do you need at this time and what gives you hope?

A: Sports bring me the most joy and continued motivation from others to get things done is what I need.

A word from Ms. Raybon: "Justin is an incredibly positive student. He loves to make others laugh and never fails to bring a smile to my face every single day. His joy is infectious and he is seen as a student leader among our school community. Justin is also incredibly bright and loves learning; he often asks questions that no other student has ever asked me before, and it amazes me to see his curiosity in action. On my hardest days this year, I thought about my moments with Justin. which I held close to my heart and I knew that I needed to keep showing up every day, for my students."